


Call Me Jamie

by MagicGirlinAMuggleWorld



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Universe, Fluff, Hair Braiding, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Other, Person of Color James Potter, nonbinary!Jamie Potter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:06:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21867976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicGirlinAMuggleWorld/pseuds/MagicGirlinAMuggleWorld
Summary: Non-binary Jamie Potter thinks about their identity as Lily helps them get ready for a party at their parents' house.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 16
Kudos: 23





	Call Me Jamie

Late on the third Thursday of December, the Gryffindor Common Room was overflowing with teenagers and nervous energy. There were students engaged in last-minute studying at tables scattered throughout the room, as well as students gossiping or playing games in front of the fire, letting off some end-of-term steam. A group of third-years was playing Gobstones while two fourth-year boys built a card tower in a corner, and several other students were huddled around a wireless radio listening to a Quidditch match. Some girls were at a table in the back corner with their faces buried in various textbooks, and a lone, quiet girl sat in one of the room’s large bay windows, scribbling furiously in a notebook. Remus and Peter were seated in the other window, quizzing each other on antidotes before tomorrow’s Potions exam, and Sirius—who had never cared much for studying—was twirling his wand in one hand as he lazily surveyed the scene.

And amidst it all, the individual known as Jameela Potter stood scowling at the heavy, scented parchment in their hand.

~

_Dearest Jameela Harriet,_

_My love, my light, my only daughter. I am very much looking forward to spending time with you and your brother this upcoming holiday. Don’t forget, your father and I will be hosting our annual Christmas Eve ball, and I expect you and Sirius to be mannerly and cordial with our dear guests. You are practically adults now, after all, and you must observe social graces and make professional connections. The time for playing tricks and hiding in the greenhouse is past._

_I have bought you a beautiful saree in red and gold for the occasion. And Jameela, darling, if you come home for the holiday with your lovely hair knotted around that Merlin-cursed elastic you insist on wearing every single day, I swear on all that is holy I will take you to Aunty Visha’s and allow her to descend upon your scalp with her most intense heating and straightening and curling charms and what-have-you, and you will attend the party wearing the tallest beehive she can conjure. Of this I give you my word._

_Affectionately,_

_Mum_

_~_

Jamie snorted and tossed the letter on the floor at their feet. “Affectionately my arse.”

“Ah, you know she meant every word,” Sirius said, chuckling. He tucked his wand into his robes and shook his head. “Visha’s style is stuck in the sixties, though. The least Mum could do is send you to a stylist in Muggle London, or something.”

“Ha! She’d never,” Jamie said with a roll of their eyes. “She says if I can’t be arsed to learn cosmetic spells, then I can’t be trusted to choose my own hairstyle for social events. I think she hopes if Aunty yanks at my hair enough, I’ll learn how to care for it myself.”

“Fat chance of that,” Sirius noted, still laughing. “And I doubt Mum said ‘arsed’.”

“‘Course she didn’t, she said if I don’t have the _decency_ to care that I’m _embarrassing_ her by refusing to dress like a _lady_ , then _she’ll_ have to continue to dress me like I’m a _child_.” Jamie sighed heavily and tugged on their curly ponytail. “I don’t see why ‘child’ and ‘lady’ are the only options. She ought to know by now I’m neither, and never will be.”

“Aw, Jamie.” Sirius reached up to pat his sibling on the head, then grabbed their hair tie and dragged their hair out of its queue. Jamie grunted as the elastic snagged in their curls, but Sirius pulled it free and held it high above his head.

“Oi!” Jamie yelled, lunging for the hair tie. A small girl reading a copy of _Witch Weekly_ scampered out of their way as Sirius dodged to avoid Jamie’s grasping hands. “Give it back!”

Remus and Peter glanced their way, and Sirius grinned. “I think not,” he said, flicking the hairband over to Remus, who caught it and slipped it around his wrist. Jamie turned towards Remus, but Sirius stepped in front of them. “Look, we leave for London in two days, and it’ll take you at least that long to fix your hair to Mum’s approval.” He raised his eyebrows sternly. “Unless you’re ready to wear whatever you want and tell her who you are.”

“You know I can’t tell Mum yet, it’ll crush her,” Jamie said, running a hand through the mass of curls around their head. “Having a beautiful daughter is all she’s ever wanted. She says it all the time.”

"No, having _you_ is all she ever wanted,” Sirius corrected, putting a hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “Her _child_ , not necessarily her daughter. She only calls you her beautiful girl because that's how she sees you.” His tone softened. “Mum loves tradition and formalities, sure. But she loves you unconditionally, Jamie. I didn’t know that was possible from a parent until I met her, but it is. So if you told her you’re not sure you’re her ‘beautiful girl,’ she’d listen. I’m sure of it.”

Jamie shrugged out from under Sirius’ hand and shifted their weight from one foot to the other. They glanced over at Remus and Peter, still seated in the window, and found their friends nodding in understanding. They turned back to Sirius uncertainly. “Maybe,” they conceded. “I don’t know.”

“I do,” Sirius said firmly. “But it’s your decision.”

Jamie cocked their head to one side and gave their brother a half-smile to lighten the mood. “I say, if Mum understood me at all, she wouldn't be trying to give me beauty queen hair. Everyone knows _you’re_ the beauty queen around here.”

Sirius didn’t push the issue. “It’s true, you’d think Mum would’ve noticed by now,” he said, his lips twisting in a smirk. “So, what are we going to do?”

“You say ‘we,’ but _you’re_ allowed to wear your hair tied back,” Jamie noted. “And no one’s trying to force you into a gown.”

“Unfair, I know,” Sirius said, and he sounded sincere. “But we’ll sort you out. There must be a style fit for a party that both you and she can tolerate, right? Trouble is, I don’t really need elaborate cosmetic charms myself, you know, because—” he waved a hand in front of his own face “—look at me.” He sighed as though burdened by his own beauty. “But I’ve picked up a few here and there. I’ll see what I can do.”

“I hate you,” Jamie muttered.

“You’re welcome,” Sirius replied. He clapped his hands and gestured at two third-year boys who were crammed into the overstuffed armchair in the corner. “Shoo,” he said, waving them away. They scrambled up from their seat and darted over to the bay window recently vacated by the girl with the journal. Sirius plopped into the armchair and motioned for Jamie to sit in front of him. They did so reluctantly.

“All right, let’s get to work.”

Sirius began to wrestle with Jamie’s hair, separating it into sections with his wand and muttering things under his breath. Jamie yelped every time his wand snagged in their curls, and Sirius prodded their head this way and that as they tried to figure out how to tame the mass of black strands. Slowly, the space around the two friends cleared out as Jamie shot death glares at anyone who dared snicker at their predicament. Even Peter and Remus soon decided they’d be better off studying in the dormitory than listening to Jamie’s pitiful whinging.

After nearly ten minutes of twisting and tugging, Jamie smacked Sirius’ hand with a growl. “What’s with all the bloody yanking? I thought you were going to use charms!”

“I planned to use a braiding charm, but I’ve got to get these knots out first! And I don’t know a de-tangling charm, do I? My hair never tangles.”

“Have I told you lately that I hate you?” Jamie reiterated. Sirius dragged the comb through their hair, and they flinched. “Ow! What charms _do_ you know?”

Sirius barked out a laugh. “Diffindo?”

Jamie snorted at that. “Not a bad idea, actually. I should just cut the lot of it off.”

There was a gasp from the corner of the room. “Please don’t!”

Jamie jerked their head out from under Sirius’ hands and jumped to their feet, eyes narrowed. Their mouth dropped open in surprise at the speaker. Lily Evans was sitting at a table in the corner of the Common Room with Mary MacDonald, a stack of books in front of them. Lily’s hand flew to her mouth, her green eyes wide and her face nearly scarlet with embarrassment.

“Oh!” Jamie said, blinking. “All right, Evans?”

“Yes, quite—hello! Sorry!” Lily said quickly. “I wasn’t eavesdropping—I just meant—your hair’s gorgeous, that’s all.” She smiled awkwardly. “I’d die for those curls.”

“My hair? Gorgeous?” Jamie squeaked. They reached up and dragged a hand through the tangled mass, then cleared their throat loudly. In their most casual—and hopefully charming—tone, they said, “It’s like wrestling garden gnomes, I swear. But _your_ hair. The color, I mean. _That’s_ gorgeous.”

Lily laughed lightly, still blushing. “Thanks. It’s an acquired taste, but I’ve learnt to love it. If only it didn’t come with such pale skin, you know? Ten minutes in the sun and I’m red as a tomato.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad I don’t have to deal with that,” Jamie said, their lips curving up as they shrugged. “But no one’s ever going to compare my hair to a sunset, you know?”

Mary let out a cough that sounded a lot like a laugh, and Lily looked stunned. Then she began to smile, too. “Who’s comparing my hair to a sunset?”

Jamie’s hand jumped to their hair again. “Erm—what?”

Sirius saved them. “I hate to interrupt this little lovefest, but neither of you has stated the most obvious fact,” he drawled.

Lily raised her eyebrows. “And what’s that?”

“I’ve got the best bloody hair at Hogwarts.” He flicked said hair over his shoulder and smirked.

Jamie and Mary rolled their eyes, and Lily laughed.

“Of course your hair is lovely, Sirius,” she said placatingly. “I’ve just always loved curls.”

“Hmph.” Sirius looked put-out. “That’s because you’re not the one trying to tame them.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Lily said, still smiling. “Shall I have a go at it?”

“What?” Jamie yelped, giving the untamed strands another rub. “I mean—do you want to? Do you know how?”

“I think I can handle it, Potter. I’m certain I won’t do any worse than Sirius is, anyway.”

Sirius raised his eyebrows. “Have at it, then.” He turned and gave Jamie a wicked grin, then sauntered out of the Common Room and towards the boys’ dormitory. Mary gave Lily a similar smirk as she gathered her books and headed for the girls’ stairs. Lily waved her good-bye.

Jamie swallowed hard as Lily came over to the armchair and settled into the spot where Sirius had been. “Sit,” she commanded, and they obeyed without hesitation. Lily scooted up behind them, so Jamie’s shoulders were between Lily’s knees, and smoothed her hands over the top of their head. Jamie closed their eyes and tried not to shiver.

“All right, Jameela, so what should I do?” Lily asked.

They stiffened at the words. “What happened to ‘Potter’?” they asked, trying to sound casual.

“Oh, I dunno,” Lily said, shrugging. She let out a little chuckle. “I guess I was trying to sound more professional? I always call you Potter when we’re playing around. But you’re trusting me with your hair. That’s serious. Proper names seemed the way to go.”

“Huh.” Jamie let out a chuckle of their own. “I see. But I like when you call me Potter.”

“Oh. All right.”

“Or Jamie!” They blurted suddenly. “You can—I prefer Jamie to Jameela, is all.”

“All right,” Lily repeated slowly. “Jamie.” She smoothed their hair again, then lifted it and combed her fingers through it gently. “So what do you want me to do?”

“That,” Jamie murmured, sighing. “I could sit here all night if you keep doing that.”

Lily’s hands froze, and Jamie froze too. “I mean—” they both said in unison.

“You first,” Lily said, and Jamie could hear the smile in her voice.

They tipped their head back so they could see it, too. “I just meant, Sirius and my mum pull at my hair like they’re having a tug-of-war,” they explained, straightening their glasses as they looked at Lily from upside down. “But whatever _you_ were doing felt lovely. I wouldn’t mind having my hair done more often if it always felt like that.” They shrugged and smiled, a crooked, sheepish little grin, and Lily blushed.

“Right,” Lily said, nodding. “Well—what style do you want?”

Jamie shrugged again. “I don’t know, whatever will keep my mum and her hairdresser friend away from my head for the next two weeks. Last year, she tied one long plait to the side, which is well enough, but on top she tried to give me some sort of _bouffant_!” They widened their eyes in horror and pointed at their head. “You see how curly my hair is? It took her more than an hour, and in the end I looked like a bloody poodle!”

Lily burst out laughing. “I can picture it! So, not an up-do, then?”

“Well, I dunno.” Jamie paused, considering. “I do like it to be up and back from my face. The less of it I can see, the better. But not so…froofy.”

“Right, no froof,” Lily said, nodding seriously. “I think I can manage that. If I give you a half-decent braided crown, will that please your mum?

Jamie pressed a hand to their chest and sighed with relief. “Immensely.”

“Good.” Lily went back to combing her fingers through Jamie’s wild hair, and Jamie closed their eyes and relaxed into Lily’s touch. Jamie and the girls in the dorm had painted each other’s toenails before, and they’d let Mary put some eyeshadow on them once, but none of it felt as intimate as this.

They wondered if Evans felt that way, too.

Lily’s fingers were quick but gentle, and she hummed while she worked. It was a Muggle tune that Jamie recognized. They quickly picked up the chorus: “Don’t go breaking my heart—”

“I won’t go breaking your heart!” Lily responded, with a surprised giggle. “You know Elton John?”

“Not really, but that song is brilliant. Makes me want to dance.” They tipped their head back to look at Lily again. “Shall we?”

Jamie saw the sparkle in Lily’s eyes as she bit down on a smile. “You’ll use any excuse not to have your hair done, won’t you?” she teased. “It won’t work on me, Potter. Jamie,” she corrected herself, pushing Jamie’s head back to an upright position. “I’m not going to be the reason you cut off these beautiful curls.”

Jamie chuckled. “It wasn’t an excuse, Evans. I do love to dance.” _And I’d love to dance with you_ , they wanted to add.

“Well, we’ve no time today. I’m not finished revising Herbology.”

“You’ll ace it, I’m sure,” Jamie said. “But fine.” They sighed, but sat silently while Evans worked. She’d stopped humming, perhaps to discourage Jamie’s urge to dance, but the silence made Jamie antsy. They wiggled their legs and bum, trying to get comfortable, and laughed when Lily poked them in the skull and commanded them to be still. After another moment of silence, they finally asked:

“So, Evans, what are you doing for the holiday?”

“Oh, you know.” Lily shrugged, the motion causing her to pull Jamie’s hair very slightly. “I’ll spend Christmas day with my da and Petunia. But no other plans, really. We’ve no other family in England, anymore, and I’ve hardly kept in touch with my Muggle friends these last few years.”

“Oh. You should come to our party!” Jamie blurted, and they felt their cheeks heat. “I mean, if you don’t have Christmas Eve plans, my parents always throw this massive event, with caterers and a band and everything. And they invite all these witches and wizards from the Ministry and my dad’s company, and I pretend its dead boring, but the food’s always excellent and all of us kids sneak wine and play Snap in the greenhouse until the old people start to leave, and then the band will play pop songs if we ask them to.”

Their face was flushed still, for sure, and they were rambling. They bit their bottom lip and held their breath while they waited for Lily to respond.

When Lily spoke, her tone was cautious—but pleased. “That does sound fun,” she said. “And it would be nice to see friends during the holiday. I do miss Hogwarts when I’m not here.”

“Brililant,” Jamie said, exhaling. “Mum will love you, I’m sure, you’re such a proper little lady compared to me.”

They hadn’t meant for that to sound bitter, but it might’ve, a little, because Lily’s fingers went still for the barest second before they began their deft movement through Jamie’s hair again.

“I’m hardly _proper_ , Jamie,” she said, lightly. “Remember when Mary and I set those Cornish Pixies loose on you during Charms during third year?”

“Yes, but I’d dropped a balloon full of stinksap on you and Dorcas the week before, if I recall. So, turnabout’s fair play.” They grinned. “Besides, that’s not what I mean by ‘proper.’ I just meant you wear the latest fashions and know how to put on make-up and all that. If I had the choice, I’d dress like a Muggle boy ninety percent of the time—jeans and dungarees and trainers, stuff like that. Maybe skirts in the summer, they do have great freedom of movement, but—take this party for example. I’d rather wear dress robes, or a blazer, than a proper _dress_. I just hate dresses, especially long ones.”

Jamie cringed. They were rambling again. They wondered if they sounded silly, but Lily just hummed thoughtfully.

“Hmm,” she said, “I don’t know that I’ve ever even seen you in a dress, now you mention it. I bet you’d be a fox, though. You’ve got great legs.”

Lily’s fingers froze in place again, and Jamie grinned. They tipped their head back and, sure enough, Evans was blushing.

“Didn’t know you’d noticed, Evans,” they teased. “It’s all the Quidditch. These thighs are made for gripping a broomstick.”

Lily burst into laughter, and now it was Jamie’s turn to blush. “That’s not—that sounded far more sexual than I meant it,” they said. They reached up to tug on their hair, out of habit, but Lily swatted their hand away.

“You’ll ruin my hard work,” she said sternly. “Keep your hands to yourself.”

Jamie’s mouth split into a wide grin. “If you say so, Evans.”

“I do.” She went back to work on Jamie’s braids. “Anyroad, while I’m sure you’d look great in a dress,” she added, “formal shouldn’t have to mean uncomfortable, right? You should wear something that’s more…you.”

“Maybe,” Jamie said, sighing. “I guess I’m still trying to figure out what exactly that means.”

Lily didn’t say anything else, but this time, the silence didn’t feel awkward to Jamie. After another twenty minutes of braiding and twisting, with only the occasional twinge where Lily’s fingers caught an unexpected tangle, she patted Jamie’s head.

“There,” she said, sounding pleased. “Now you look like a princess.”

Jamie snorted. “I’m the king of this castle, Evans, and don’t you forget it.”

“Ha!” Lily cackled loudly and walked around to look at her handiwork from the front. She raised an eyebrow. “Awfully cocky for someone who nearly cried having their hair combed an hour ago, aren’t you?”

“Well, Sirius is a bloody menace,” Jamie declared, standing up from the floor. They pulled a mirror out of their pocket and inspected their crown, then beamed. “This is brilliant. Better than anything he could’ve done, for sure. Guess I won’t shave my head this week.”

Lily pursed her lips thoughtfully, studying Jamie’s face, then nodded in satisfaction. “Good.”

Jamie nodded, too. “Right. Well, thanks, Evans.”

“Any time. I really do love your hair,” Lily said earnestly. She hesitated. “But you know, seeing it up like this, I was thinking. If you did decide you wanted to cut it all off…I think it would look good on you.”

Jamie reached up to muss their hair and was thwarted by the intricate braids. They pushed their glasses up further on their nose instead and blinked at Lily. “Yeah? You really think so?”

“I do.” Lily nodded. “I’ve never noticed, but the shape of your face…” she trailed off and shook her head, then gave Jamie a shy smile. “You’ve got the cheekbones for it, is all.”

One side of Jamie’s mouth tilted up in a grin they couldn’t suppress. “Thanks, Evans. Maybe you can help me convince my mother?”

“If you decide that’s what you want, she’ll come around,” Lily said with a nod. She picked up her books and hugged them to her chest as though she were nervous, but the look in her eyes was pure determination. “But if you want my support, you’ve got it, Jamie. For anything."

**Author's Note:**

> This is a thing I'd been working on for a while, and comments from someone who shan't be named today made me decide to tweak it just slightly and publish it ASAP because gender is not a binary and all identities are valid. I tried to be thoughtful about it, and i like where it ended up. Hope you enjoyed reading it :-)


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